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As a female, the pressures to aspire to “beauty” are constant and abundant. Being born, raised and socialised in the west can amount to unspeakable horrors linked to poor self esteem, promoted by the unrelenting attention to “beauty” paid by our society. Not merely is it a spray tan here and a lash extension there, but woman can become crippled by a circus of the mind, where body dysmorphia, eating disorders and jealousy plague them tirelessly.

There are countless women in our midst being tortured in secrecy by their body image, tied up in a mind game which pays reward to the self-inflicted pain. Starvation, binging, purging, lies. All the violent toys used in body image bondage, where the suffering becomes worthwhile for the fleeting moments of relief and satisfaction they bring, before the game begins again.

The question is where this bleak and powerful black hole began? Reflecting on the attitudes and values of women in other cultures suggests cracking the whip on perfection and “size zero” doesn’t happen across the global female population – it seems inclined to cast its ugly spell on the women of West. Who to blame? Who devised this poisonous game? It’s clear to me, advertising, media and capitalism are the ringmasters behind this insidious affliction, exploiting the insecurities of women on the highest level, before it trickles down into every crack of society, perpetuating with the dawn of each new generation.

Here’s hoping 2012 “apocalypse” brings us to awakening as individuals, because the ring masters ain’t going no where…